The Gift
by Miiko Ashida
Summary: Life at Shibusen has returned to normal, a year after Asura's defeat. But for Maka, an even greater and perhaps more terrifying challenge is about to turn her peaceful existence inside out at the seams. She isn't ready - none of them are.  SoulxMaka
1. prologue

(prologue)

* * *

><p>Chrona was almost asleep when he heard the voice.<p>

At first he thought he was imagining things, so he clutched his pillow tighter to his chest, and ignored it. But it grew louder, and it sounded sad, and lonely. He thought of the smiling shadow outlined against the sand in the neverending desert. How Maka had found him in the middle of all that nothing and saved him.

He thought it might be nice to be to someone what Maka was to him. So he listened.

_Chrona_, the voice said.

'How do you know my name?'

_My sweet Chrona, a mother could never forget her only child's name._

He wanted to pretend to be asleep then, to run far, far away from the voice and who was behind it, but he couldn't move. Instead he pressed himself against the wall, willing this to be a hallucination.

'You're dead,' he thought. 'Dead dead dead _dead_.'

_Yes,_ the voice agreed, sounding a little sadder. _I realized, when I died – oh, I should say, when I was killed, shouldn't I? - that I had been a terrible mother. I treated you cruelly, Chrona, and I regretted it. I suppose that regret is the reason we're speaking now._

She sounded...gentler, somehow. But then, she always had when it suited her. Chrona remained quiet. If he spoke he would be trapped for sure.

_Of course you wouldn't believe me, after all I did to you and to your friends. But I want to make amends with you, Chrona. What could a mother want more than for her child to be happy?_

A part of him wanted to believe. Maka had looked so happy when she talked about her mother, so proud and admiring, like her mother was a really good kind of friend. That was something he could never have another chance at, no matter how many people he met or how far from his old way of living he moved – he could never create a loving relationship with Medusa that had never existed.

But here she was, a ghost in his room, stretching her hand out to him and offering an apology.

He wanted to take it.

He was afraid.

_I love you, Chrona. Please, let me do it properly this time._

He wanted to believe her.

He was afraid.

But he wanted to so, so badly.

The phantom sensation of a hand brushed over his hair, smoothing it down, and he stiffened, his whole body going gooseflesh. Medusa-sama, who was supposed to be dead. A ghost. This was scary. He was really _scared._ He didn't know what to do in such a situation. But he wanted -

_I'm not lying, you know. Let me prove it._

_My greatest wish is for you to be happy, and I can help you. That girl you think so much about – Maka, wasn't it? She doesn't love you, and that hurts you. But I can help. I can make her love you, Chrona._

_Please, let me._

He wanted to.


	2. chapter one: unease

(chapter one: unease)

–

* * *

><p>–<p>

This was the fourth day Maka had been late to class in two weeks. Her attendance record had been, up to that point, spotless, and Stein happened to know that keeping it that way was a particular point of pride for her.

On opposite sides of the conspicuously empty seat she normally occupied, Chrona fidgeted nervously, and Soul tried not to look concerned. His nonchalance would have been more convincing if he hadn't been tapping his fingers on the desk irritably and tensing whenever someone addressed him.

"She's not feeling good, okay?" he growled in response to Black Star's stage-whispered inquiries about Maka's whereabouts. "I've told you that fifty times already. Lay off."

Chrona slunk lower in his seat, giving the impression that he wanted to disappear under the rim of the desk altogether. He'd tried to wait for Maka so they could go together – since walking to class with the others when she wasn't there was almost too awkward for him to handle – but she'd waved him ahead with a weak smile before plunging back into the bathroom and slamming the door. Chrona had the feeling Soul would have waited, too, but decided it would be better for both his and Maka's pride if he just went ahead as if nothing were the matter.

Just as the lecture portion of the class was finishing up, Stein dismissing the students into their individual groups for hands-on application practice, the door whooshed open and Maka stumbled in, resting her hands on her knees and looking as though she'd just sprinted the mile and a half from their apartment to the school.

"S-sorry I'm late, Professor," she wheezed quietly to Stein, ducking her head in apology before making her way to her seat.

"You okay?" Soul asked, moving his books so she could set her bag down.

"Yeah, fine now," she answered with a tight smile. "Hi, Chrona."

The slighter boy winced. "H-hi..."

She gave his wrist a gentle squeeze, smiling with a bit more effort at looking normal, before turning back to her weapon.

"Where were we? Can you catch me up a bit before we go outside?"

The conversation drifted to rehashing what Stein had told them about 'controlled resonance', and Maka did seem better – in her element, it was impossible to tell she'd been violently ill just an hour before. She lead the group outside, harassing Soul when he couldn't remember this or that detail of the lecture.

"He used some kind of analogy – something about oil paints – I don't know, Maka, it was just an analogy!"

"It's important, Soul! Next time write it down!"

Soul bristled, his irritation palpable. "How about next time, _you_ come to _class_!"

They went back and forth like that the entire way, their argument rising and falling in pitch, until they caught up with Stein and the rest of the class.

"Today we'll be trying something a little different," the professor announced, looking bored. He paused to light a cigarette, exhaling into the sky. "Controlled chain resonance. Since you should all have understood the basics of the theory, we'll get right down to it. No more than three partners to a group, you'll be too unstable that way -"

"Professor, Chrona should be in our group," Maka piped up, grabbing the shy boy's hand.

"This is new material, Maka. You won't be able to sustain a four-sided resonance link and complete the assignment."

Chrona shifted nervously from foot to foot. "N-no, Maka, it's all right, I don't need to -"

"Don't be silly," she huffed, setting her jaw. "You're in our group. We'll manage, professor."

Stein gave her a tolerant look over the tops of his glasses. Stubborn Maka seemed ready to argue further, but Chrona tugged her hand softly, shaking his head. "No, i-it's really – I d-don't want to. I'll just – watch, okay?" he whispered.

She blinked at him, surprised and a little concerned. "Are you sure? I mean, really, it's no problem – we don't mind, right, guys?" The pointed look seemed to have been lost on Black Star, but all the others nodded their agreement.

This time the back-and-forth swish of Chrona's hair was vehement. "I r-really don't want to."

"Well...okay. If you change your mind, just tell me, okay?"

The boy bobbed his head nervously. He retreated to under one of the trees, watching the others form a circle and synch up their wavelengths. He felt guilty about telling her 'no' after she tried to include him, but if they resonated, she and all the others would see inside him, and he didn't want that. They might be able to see the ghost, too, and that was his secret. He hadn't even decided whether to tell Maka yet. He knew he should, but she would be angry. She would insist he tell Lord Death, and then he'd probably be kicked out again and that would be _awful_.

Although she hadn't done anything bad, and did seem very kind and...motherly, he was still a little afraid of Medusa. He thought maybe he should just forgive her so she could be free from her regrets and move on, but he couldn't do that, either. He was still uncertain how to feel about her. She said she wanted to help him, but she'd done so many awful things to him, and to Maka – it wasn't something he could force himself to just get over.

Chrona pulled his knees close to his chest. He watched Maka's hands tremble slightly as she gripped Soul, a sign that she was having trouble maintaining the resonance link. That was probably his fault. She might be distracted because she was worried about him. _I'm always causing trouble_, Chrona thought mournfully, _even when I try not to_. He hadn't given any kind of answer to Medusa's offer yet, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt like it wouldn't be any good for Maka if she loved him. In that case, even if he was unhappy, he should just leave her alone.

Besides, using magic to make someone love you – that was bad, wasn't it? He wasn't sure.

Chrona was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice when, in the circle, Maka's knees buckled. Only when Black Star shouted something did he startle into awareness of his surroundings, and the next moment Maka had collapsed onto the ground. Chrona scrambled to his feet to help, but Soul had already assumed his human form again and was pulling the blonde meister into a sitting position, cradling her against his chest.

"Holy shit, is she okay?" Black Star asked loudly, leaning in even as Tsubaki scolded him to give Maka space to breathe.

"Maka," said Soul, gently patting her cheek. "Hey, Maka -"

Feeling superfluous, Chrona hung around the outside of the tight circle of friends that had formed around Maka. He wanted to help, but what could he do? The professor was already making his way over, anyway, and he was a doctor. Much more useful.

"What happened?" Stein asked sternly, tilting the unconscious meister's face this way and that, checking her pulse and her soul wavelength. It appeared to be purely a physical issue, he concluded, noting that the calm, steady radiance of her soul seemed normal.

"We were resonating and trying to do that thing you explained and suddenly she just – passed out, I don't know. I didn't even see it coming," Soul growled. "It was like something in her...resisted resonating, suddenly. I dunno how to describe it. It's never happened before." He gritted his teeth, inwardly berating himself. He should have felt _something _before it was too late to act, but there was no warning, just typical bossy Maka giving orders one minute and then the suddenly-falling sensation of their resonance link breaking the next. As her weapon, he should have preempted it, known something was up, supported her – something. But he hadn't even had a clue.

The professor straightened up, frowning. "Can you take her to the infirmary? Have nurse Nygus take a look at her, and I'll be by as soon as class is finished."

Soul nodded and shifted his unconscious partner onto his back – he'd carried her like this plenty of times, sometimes because of an injury but also when she was just asleep, or tired. It felt familiar and easy, and calmed him a little to know that he was doing something to control the situation. Maka was going to be fine, he told himself. Just do what you can to help, and she'll be all right.

"The rest of you, please continue practicing," Stein was instructing the class, most of whom had gathered around to see what the commotion was. "No need to gawk, you've all fallen asleep during my class at one point or another," he added apparently jovially. It seemed to work to dispel the air of tension and worry, as some of the students laughed guiltily, Black Star's loud guffaw among them. Chrona started forward to help Soul, but at the last minute he flinched back, feeling out of place.

_She'll be fine, Chrona_, the ghost whispered, her invisible hands encircling his shoulders gently._ Don't fret like that. That girl is tough, isn't she?_

_Y-yeah_, he thought. _I g-guess you're right_.

Even unable to see her, he could sense that Medusa was smiling. She really did seem confident that this was nothing, and it was easier to trust in that than to continue worrying, so he did his best not to feel sick as he watched Soul piggyback Maka toward the school.

–

"I've ordered some blood tests," Nygus informed Maka curtly once she had woken up. "Professor Stein came by while you were unconscious, and it is our opinion that you may be anemic, though we won't know anything for certain without lab analysis. For now, try not to overexert yourself, and you'll be fine. I'll give you a call in three or four days."

Maka nodded, eyes fixed on her hands where she had rested them on her knees. She felt foolish, passing out for no reason and making everyone worry. And of course, on top of everything else, she'd missed more class. That was downright unacceptable.

The older woman gave her a keen look. "Is there anything else you wanted to mention? Other symptoms you forgot before?"

"Well..." She bit her lip, hesitating.

"You can wait outside," Nygus instructed Soul sharply, waving toward the door with her clipboard.

"Like hell -" Soul began, shifting instinctively closer to Maka, but a hand on his sleeve stopped him.

With a firm expression, Maka gave him a little push. "It's fine. I'll only be a minute – besides, you're not my _dad_."

Soul grumbled a little in protest, but he complied, slouching out of the office and leaving the two women alone. Nygus repeated her question, pen ready to take down whatever Maka told her.

"It's nothing, really -" the teenager began, fiddling with her fingernails. "I just didn't want to worry him, you know? I've been sick a little the past couple of weeks, and if he knew it was bothering me, then it would bother him even more."

"Hm." Nygus seemed thoughtful. "What kind of sickness?"

"Stomach trouble, mostly. I told you, it isn't a big deal – I think I might just be eating badly because I'm stressed about exams."

"I see." There was a long pause, in which the nurse scribbled something on her clipboard, and then she nodded politely to Maka. "Go join your partner, then. He's probably worrying."

"Thank you."

Outside, Soul was indeed worrying, pacing the hallway outside the door. He was wearing a ferocious scowl.

"Hey," Maka called to him, giving her best smile. "Don't make that face! Miss Nygus said I'm just fine."

"Yeah? Then what'd you have to kick me out for?"

"Oh, just girl talk. Don't worry, okay, Soul?" She grabbed his hand gently. Unexpectedly, it was Soul who pulled her closer by their joined hands, resting his forehead against hers.

When he sighed she could feel the reverberation of his chest through her body. She looked up at him expectantly and gave his hand a squeeze.

"Don't tell me not to worry and then go passing out like that, okay?" he mumbled. "It's really uncool. Idiot."

Maka laughed, tilting her face up until their lips met and pressing them together for a long moment. "Sorry," she said against his mouth. "But I'm really okay." When his hand rested on her waist, warm and solid, she _did_ feel okay. More than okay – safe, and happy. This time, he kissed her.

At the end of the hall, Chrona, who had come to see how Maka was doing, drew back out of sight.

–

"Eat it, Maka!"

"I said I'm full!"

"Yeah, well, the nurse said you need to eat more!"

"That's _not_ what she said -"

The heated scuffle going on across the table had pushed Chrona up against the far wall of the breakfast nook in his efforts to avoid being pulled into it. Soul was shoveling more food onto Maka's plate, and Maka kept trying to put it back into the pan, and they were shouting at each other at ear-shattering volume – fists flying seemed inevitable at any moment – but somehow there was an air of closeness underneath it all. Chrona didn't understand that, but he did understand that he was on the outside of that closeness; a part of him wanted in, but most of him didn't want to become involved. He didn't want Maka to yell at him, even if it was as part of some sort of unspoken agreement of friendship.

He scraped his eggs around his plate slowly, watching from under lidded eyes as Soul succeeded in stuffing a sausage into Maka's mouth, only for her to bite it viciously in half and cough out an infuriated "what the _hell_, you asshole! I almost choked!"

Abruptly, Chrona stood and shuffled away toward the kitchen. He couldn't take it, watching how even their fights came easily and looked like another form of closeness.

_What is it, my dear Chrona?_ cooed Medusa's voice in his ear. He could feel the trace of her fingers light over his shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. _She would never yell at you like that, you know. Isn't that an encouraging sign, that they're fighting?_

"No," Chrona murmured to the empty kitchen, "she d-does like him. I think...I think it's wrong to mess with that. We should j-just leave them alone. She's happy this way."

_But you are not,_ the witch's ghost pointed out solicitously. Her hand cupped his cheek gently, an invisible touch lighter than air. _It hurts me to see you so sad like this. You did say you'd let me help you, and I think I know best how to do that, don't you?_

He bit his lip; the dishes rattled in his hands as they began to tremble. "M-maybe, but -"

"Chrona?"

The boy nearly jumped out of his skin at the very real, physical voice behind him, even though Maka had returned to the normal, softer tone she used with him. With still-shaking hands, he straightened the dishes guiltily to delay having to turn and face her.

"Is everything okay?" she asked gently. "I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"N-no one," Chrona whispered, turning around with effort. Maka looked more concerned than suspicious, her eyebrows knitted together and lips quirked up thoughtfully. He felt another hot surge of guilt in the pit of his stomach. "S-sorry, Maka."

Her smile took him off-guard. "No worries! But you know, Chrona, if anything is bothering you, you can always talk to me. You've got friends here, and we're looking out for you. I know Soul isn't always easy to get to know, but...he wants to be your friend, too."

Pink hair bobbed up and down once, Chrona trying to work out where she was going with this. Should he just tell her everything? Keeping his worries to himself had turned out so disastrously last time... But he couldn't possibly explain that his mother's ghost was speaking to him without sounding completely crazy. It would be ridiculous to expect her to be there for him when it came to _that_ kind of bizarre thing, let alone the other problem that was on his mind. He absolutely couldn't tell her how he felt about her, and about her-and-Soul.

Chrona's lips tightened and he nodded again. "Th-thank you. But I'm all right."

"I'm glad!" Maka beamed, and pulled him into an unexpected hug. He thought of how she had embraced Soul in the hallway outside the infirmary – what was so different about this? To someone standing in the doorway, it would look the same as when Soul had tugged her close. Their chests were pressed together, he realized with a flush, in the same way. But they were not about to kiss. That much was certain.

Still, just the hug felt good, and he let himself enjoy it for a few brief moments before she pulled away, jerking her thumb toward the door. "Come on, we'd better get ready to go!"

"Y-yeah."

She grabbed his hand to pull him along, and Chrona squeezed her fingers, just a little. He thought maybe he felt her squeeze back.

They were on time to class, which Maka seemed overjoyed about, striding toward her usual seat with great enthusiasm as if to say 'look, I'm back to my old self! No more interrupting the lecture from _this_ top student!' Stein, however, stopped her, calling her over to his desk but motioning Soul and Chrona to go on.

"Maka," he began, leafing through the lesson plan on his desk seemingly absentmindedly, "your test results have come back. Nygus would like to meet with you during the lunch period, so I'll walk you to her office after class."

For all his carefully nonchalant tone, Maka felt suspicion prick at her spine. "I can get there myself, Professor," she pointed out carefully.

Stein regarded her out of the corner of his eyes and was silent for a moment. "I wanted to speak to you as well." A gaggle of latecoming students spilled past them through the door, chattering loudly, and the professor appeared to rethink whatever he had been about to follow that comment up with. Instead he merely added, "Nurse Nygus values my medical opinion."

Something didn't sit right with Maka, especially the evasiveness and vague wording of his response, but just as she was about to press him further, the bell rang, signaling students to take their seats or suffer the consequences of a late mark – which she already had too many of for the grading period. Puzzled and a little anxious, she made her way up to where her friends sat, watching the exchange curiously.

"What was that all about?" asked Soul, peering up at her through his bangs.

"I'm not sure."

Tsubaki echoed his concern. "Is everything all right, Maka?"

The blonde meister cast a glance back at Stein's desk, where their professor had turned to the blackboard and begun to scratch something out in neat, precise handwriting. It was instructions for the day's activity, straightforward, standard academic work. Something Maka understood. It should have been comforting, anchoring her in the everyday that surrounded this mysterious business about her test results. But instead she felt strange, reading something so familiar and mundane while uncertainty tied hard knots in her stomach.

Belatedly, she realized she hadn't answered Tsubaki's question.

"I hope so."


	3. chapter two: dilemma

(chapter two: dilemma)

–

* * *

><p>–<p>

As the class ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace, Chrona focused intently on the textbook he shared with Ragnarok, every so often stealing a brief, furtive glance over at Maka. The blonde meister was bent over her own text, lips forming the ghosts of words that indicated she was making an effort to concentrate. Chrona found himself utterly absorbed in the shallow movements of her mouth. He realized he was mimicking them without thinking about it, and put a hand over his own mouth, embarrassed.

'Oh, just spit it out, idiot!' Ragnarok hissed inside his mind.

'You think I should tell her?' Chrona thought back, giving up entirely on pretending to think about his coursework. 'But we're in the middle of class...'

'Well, tell her after class, then,' the weapon replied. Chona could practically feel him rolling his bulbous eyes.

It had been his own idea, though, to come clean to Maka about Medusa's ghost. But he should never have told Ragnarok that this was his intention - now his bullying, obnoxious partner would never leave him alone about it until he went through with the plan. Now that it came down to it, he wasn't really sure he wanted to do it at all anymore.

For starters, he knew he couldn't admit something so private and possibly incriminating in front of anyone else, so he had to find a way to get her alone. The problem was that he had no idea how to go about that. It wasn't as though he could just go up to her and say "Maka, I have something important to talk with you about, could we talk alone?" That's what she would do. He wasn't half so brave, let alone straightforward. If he tried to approach things that way, all that would come out would be nervous stuttered fragments of words. She'd probably get concerned and gently prod him into coming out with it right there on the spot, too, and he'd end up explaining it all in front of Soul and the others and oh, that would be just awful.

Maybe, he thought, I can say I can't find my eraser after class or something, and ask her to help me find it... She might send everyone on ahead. That could work.

'That's a stupid plan,' snorted Ragnarok derisively.

'Do you have a better one?' Chrona asked, meaning to challenge his weapon's taunting, but instead he ended up sounding uncertain and even hopeful for advice.

Ragnarok's wavelength gave the impression of a shrug. With a sigh, Chrona let his shoulders slump and sunk down in despair. Now that he thought about it, Ragnarok was right. His idea was dumb. Maka would probably just offer to let him borrow hers, and it wasn't like he could make a fuss about it...

Before he could come up with any more pretexts to get her alone, the bell rang, jarring him sharply. "A-ah!" He startled out of his thoughts, glancing from side to side nervously. The others didn't seem to have noticed, even Maka, who seemed completely absorbed in packing up her books.

Well, he could at least try. It was now or never, in any case.

"U-um -" Chrona began softly, gripping his arm tight like a security blanket; Maka turned her head toward him.

"Hm? What is it, Chrona?" She was smiling, but the usual reassuring warmth wasn't in her eyes. Nevertheless, Chrona had started now, and had no choice but to plunge ahead.

"M-my eraser," he stuttered, wincing at how much dumber it sounded out loud. "I, um - I c-can't find my eraser."

The rest of the class had mostly trickled out of the room, a few stragglers making their way down the aisles on either side of the rows of seats. Kid had gone, his weapons trailing along behind him, but Black Star and Tsubaki were still lingering around, Black Star looking on curiously from a couple of feet back, the world's most obvious and unabashed eavesdropper.

Sure enough, Maka waved her hand dismissively. "It's okay, Chrona, you can borrow mine," she offered, and Chrona panicked.

"B-but - it - I..." he fumbled awkwardly; his thumbs worked nervously at the cuff of his left sleeve. "...A-actually, I didn't lose my eraser," he finally whispered, in a voice so low he was sure the others wouldn't hear. "I - I wanted to t-tell you something, b-but it has to be, um, a-alone."

Before the other meister could respond, Stein called up to them.

"Maka, could you come down, please?"

"Of course, Professor!" Maka called back, then turned and offered Chrona an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Chrona. Professor Stein wanted to see me about something after class. We can talk tonight, okay?"

Chrona made a tiny noise of despair, knowing there was no way he could get his courage up like that a second time, but what could he say? He nodded meekly, folding his arms over his chest. "Y-yeah."

"You guys go to lunch without me. I'll catch up with you next period, okay?" Maka said to the others. Soul seemed as though he wanted to question her, but thought better of it; Black Star simply shrugged.

"See you later, then, teacher's pet," grinned Soul. "Come on, Chrona," he added to the other boy, motioning toward the door with his chin.

When her partner had led the others out and only she and the professor were left in the room, Maka relaxed a little. If she had told them she was seeing the nurse, Soul would insist on coming along, and Chrona would worry, and all of that would just make her more stressed out. Stein was patient and calm, which helped a little, but his expression was unreadable when she joined him by his desk.

"Well, shall we?" he invited with his usual affable smile.

She followed after him.

–

"There must be some kind of mistake."

Maka glanced between Stein and Nygus searchingly, her lips pressed into a hard, trembling line. It was the only explanation. This could not be happening; she had decided. It was all too absurd.

A hair couldn't have shifted out of place in the room without being heard, it was so silent, aside from Maka's words. She sounded firm in her assertion, but her face looked as though someone had just punched her in the stomach. Of course, she tried to recover her composure as quickly as possible, straightening her skirt primly and setting her jaw with a shake of her head.

"It isn't a mistake," replied Stein neutrally. He flipped a sheet of the medical report over, then back again. "I ran the tests myself, to be sure. The hormonal indicators are quite clear. You are pregnant." The doctor watched her with a carefully blank expression, gauging her reaction.

"No. It's not possible." She shook her head again, this time more vehemently, in refusal to believe what she was hearing. Her two teachers' voices sounded very far away to her ears, and it was suddenly harder to catch her breath.

Cautiously, Nygus touched her shoulder. The usually gruff woman's voice was gentle as though trying to calm a wounded animal. "Maka, we understand that it's difficult to accept, but...these things don't just happen. If there's a reason you don't..." She paused, her gaze flickering uncertainly to Stein. It was clear enough that she had been chosen to cover this part of the obviously rehearsed talk because of her gender, but she had no more idea how to approach it than Stein would have. She cleared her throat. "If someone...hurt you -"

"What? No!" the girl nearly shouted, rising out of her chair with her fists clenched as though ready to pick a fight with the words themselves. Just the suggestion, and the way it was put, made her temper flare up to cover the panic. "No," she repeated, forcing herself to calm down enough that she could think clearly. "It's – it's nothing like that. Um -" Maka faltered; did she really have to say this in front of Professor Stein? It was mortifying - "I've...had sex and everything. Just...it wasn't exactly recently, and we were careful, and – this just makes no sense."

As soon as she admitted to the fact that there was a possibility, however faint, the panic and anger both suddenly rushed out of her, leaving behind nothing to support her on her feet, and she collapsed back into the chair with a shaky breath. This time, Stein stood, tucking the lab report under one arm and looking down on his student with something resembling sympathy.

"Nevertheless," he said simply, "there's no mistake. Of course," he went on, "that isn't to say you don't have options, Maka. You could always put the child up for adoption; it doesn't have to determine the course of your future. And we discovered the issue early enough that you could choose to terminate the pregnancy, and any risk to your health would be negligible."

Maka felt her stomach turn. She didn't want to think about that sort of thing - not yet, at any rate. The logical part of her mind knew that she would have to take action, one way or another, at some point, but it was just too soon. It all didn't even seem quite real yet.

Suddenly, an even worse thought occurred to her. "I...I won't be able to finish school this year, will I, professor?" she asked Stein slowly. Her bangs obscured her face, but the tears she was fighting to keep out of her voice were audible.

"It's unlikely," answered the teacher with cool honesty.

"And the senior field exam - I'd miss that, wouldn't I?"

There was no point in telling her easier-to-swallow fictions. "Yes."

Maka took a deep breath. It seemed so clear what she should do, but a part of her felt as though choosing to erase her mistakes would be running from them - betraying herself. I made choices, didn't I? she thought. This is something I let happen. If I run from it...

"There's no reason to make a rash decision," Stein continued abruptly, interrupting her line of thought. "You do have some time to consider all of your options before the issue becomes truly pressing. I'd like to see you next week for a check-up, at the earliest."

Numbness tingled in Maka's limbs, but she managed to nod her head.

"We recommend you see a counselor, as well," Nygus added, slipping a piece of paper - some kind of pamphlet with phone numbers on the front, Maka noted dully - into the girl's slack hands. "Make use of your resources."

"Is that everything?" the meister asked finally. She wasn't sure what else there could be, but she knew that she didn't want to be in the tiny office that smelled of peroxide anymore.

Still looking down at her with cool, inscrutable eyes, Stein nodded. "Yes, Maka. For today, I think we're finished."

"I have another patient to meet with," added Nygus. She touched Maka's shoulder awkwardly, then excused herself and slipped out into the main infirmary. When only Stein showed no signs of following his colleague, Maka stood stiffly and shuffled into the corridor, herself.

"Maka."

The scythe meister stopped short, tension in her shoulders. She didn't turn to face Stein. "What is it?"

The doctor lit a cigarette slowly, giving himself time to formulate what he wanted to say. He knew perfectly well how volatile and emotional his student could be under stress, and wanted to distract her with something not suspiciously unrelated but still innocuous enough that it would reopen the conversation without upsetting her further.

"You know, we're required to notify your parents as well," he said, almost offhandedly. "I was hoping you could verify that the address we have on file for your mother is correct."

Slowly, Maka pivoted to face him. The fingers of her left hand were rubbing anxiously at the cuff of her jacket. "You didn't stop me just to ask that," she said, meeting his eyes firmly.

"No," he smiled wryly, admiring the way this girl could cut to the chase without hesitation. "I want you to think about what I mentioned earlier - the possibility of ending the pregnancy. Your father might have his own opinions, but ultimately, the decision is yours. You shouldn't be swayed by his influence – or anyone else's, of course. Including mine."

Truthfully, Stein had a suspicion that Spirit might, just by his very presence, sway Maka toward bearing the pregnancy out. He would be a reminder of what he and Kami had managed, also at a young age, and the girl's tendency to make all of her mother's successes into benchmarks for herself to meet would be dangerous in this situation. It would be disastrous, not to mention irresponsible, to let her try to give birth and raise a child under the circumstances just because her mother had.

"That's –" Maka's hands trembled. "I can't just make a decision like that on my own!"

"No," the doctor agreed. "You should ask your father for advice, naturally, and of course I will give you my opinion if you ask for it. But I believe you should get to know your own mind about it before taking anyone else's suggestions into consideration."

Maka nodded uncertainly. Professor Stein was a man she trusted with almost as much faith as she had in her own judgment, but she couldn't help feeling he had a specific preference as far as her 'choice' was concerned, however much he might say he wanted her decision to be unbiased. For her, the benefits of choosing not to have the baby would be that things could return to normal, and she could go on with school and her life as though none of this had ever happened. But for Stein – what was his motivation? She wasn't sure.

"Thanks," she said politely. "I'll think it over."

Just as she turned to leave, a hand on her shoulder stopped her again.

"Whatever conclusion you reach, Maka, you should know that you have support. Making your own decisions and having to deal with things on your own are not one and the same."

With a little pat, Stein released her shoulder, his piece apparently said. She watched the cigarette smoke trailing back toward her over his shoulder and thought about the irony of a man who was slowly poisoning himself in so many ways being so concerned for her well-being.

"Stop by my office any time," he called as he walked away, voice muffled. The standard, casual invitation carried a very clear message, and even though she still felt uncertain about just what her professor's angle in all this was, Maka felt reassured and encouraged by the words. She was about to call back, "I will!", but by the time she found her voice, he had already turned the corner.

–

That night, dinner was sullen. After asking several times what Stein had wanted and receiving only "nothing, really" and "just stuff, okay?" as clipped, short-tempered responses, Soul seemed to have arrived at the conclusion that Maka was angry with him but wasn't saying why, and Chrona only ever ventured into conversation when Maka initiated it, which she didn't. She barely even ate, consumed with nerves and all the heavy possibilities she had to weigh.

Appetite almost nonexistent, Maka left the table early, scraped the better half her portion of pumpkin curry into the trash, and leaned over the sink. Nausea curled around the edges of her stomach, but it had nothing to do with the physical changes happening in her body. Once, a long time ago, Soul had joked that she'd make herself sick from always thinking so hard, but the nervous stomach she got from tests didn't compare to this. And thinking about Soul brought guilt into the mix, too.

She knew she should tell Soul – no, had to tell him, at some point – since this was a problem that concerned him, too, and besides that he was her partner, but part of her hesitated, remembering Professor Stein's advice. Soul would definitely influence her, even if he didn't mean to. Just thinking about him made thinking about the whole thing, in either direction, more confusing. Could he be a father? If Spirit could, then surely anybody would be able to manage it. But Soul wouldn't necessarily want to. And what if he did? What if she decided she couldn't finish school while taking care of a child, but Soul wanted to keep it? No, Professor Stein was right. She had to know what she wanted before getting him involved.

Heavily, the young meister slid down her wall and onto the floor. She tucked her legs up against her chest and rested her head atop them, letting out a long sigh. Having a child would mean letting go of a lot of her dreams. Now that she thought about it, Spirit had already been a deathscythe when her mother had gotten pregnant – Soul wasn't. And if she went through with this, he probably would never be. Unless she could somehow manage to obtain thirty-seven souls and defeat a witch in the few more months she'd still be able-bodied, which was about as likely as Kid spontaneously deciding to hang a Pollock painting in every room of his house.

Maka's heart sank. Not only would she be throwing away her dreams, but Soul's, too. And their partnership as meister and weapon couldn't continue on forever without the possibility of graduation. If they didn't have that – the bond that had brought them together in the first place – would they even have enough in common in their lives to stay friends, let alone a couple?

The thought made her want to cry. But on the other hand, what Stein had proposed was daunting in its own way. How could she face herself in the mirror every day knowing that she was the kind of person who ran away from her problems instead of meeting them head-on? That she got herself into messes and then didn't take responsibility for them? If she were that kind of person, how would she ever raise a child, even as an adult? Even her loser father was a bigger person than that. She couldn't stand the thought.

More than ever, she wished her mother could be there: to give advice, to help her, just to hug her and tell her that things would be okay.

–

Alone in the kitchen, Chrona struggled with himself. He had made up his mind, after that morning's failed attempt, to tell Maka about the ghost after school, but after school had turned into after homework, and after homework into after dinner, and now it was after dinner, and his legs just wouldn't move.

"Stop being such a pussy!" Ragnarok snapped, tugging at one of Chrona's ears. "It's making me sick watching you being such a little bitch about it all! Just tell her! What's the worst that happens? She thinks you're crazy? Ha! She probably already thinks that!"

"She'll be mad," Chrona moaned, leaning over double to rest his cheek on the table. The anxiety was making him literally sick to his stomach, too, and the cool wood felt good against his face. "What if she hates me? What if she throws us out?"

"We've done this same shit before!" the weapon pointed out irritably. "She didn't hate you and she didn't throw you out. Look, I don't give a fuck if you do it or not, but at least make up your mind! All this back and forth is makin' me crazy!"

With a sniffle, Chrona nodded. Ragnarok had a point, but he was just really scared. He knew Maka deserved better - someone who could be brave for her, who would at least tell her the truth and not always be hiding things from her because he was too chicken to face up to them. He wanted to try to be that sort of person, even if it ended in disaster. Gathering his resolve around himself like a blanket, Chrona stood and scraped his chair back firmly; he took a shallow breath, ignoring the prodding fingers his weapon was driving into his sides. "I've got to tell her everything," he whispered to himself. Then he headed for the stairs.

At the top of the staircase, he stopped, glancing around nervously. At one end of the short hallway was Soul's bedroom, with its competing stickers and posters plastered over the door, and a little closer, on the right-hand side, was the featureless door to the bathroom that the two shared. Maka's room was at the far end of the hall opposite, but Chrona froze when he looked toward it. There was someone standing in front of that door.

"Oh, hey, Chrona." It was too late to flee: Soul had noticed him. The offhanded phrase of acknowledgement made Chrona's stomach jump into his throat and start beating drum patterns against his esophagus. The other boy's attention wasn't really on Chrona, though. He had been scrutinizing the door with a worried expression that still lingered in his face, which made Chrona worried, too, and even more nervous. He stammered over a few explanations for his presence, working himself up into too much of a fluster to get anything out in the end. "Did you want to talk to Maka?" Soul asked with a jerk of his thumb toward the door. To Chrona, his expression seemed protective and very, very intense. It was something he had no idea how to deal with at all.

Chrona panicked. "N-n-no, I - I j-just..." He felt his hand grip his sleeve convulsively, images replaying against the backdrop of his mind, of Soul and Maka outside the nurse's office, Soul taking Maka's hand, Maka k-kissing him - Things Chrona didn't have any right to do. If Soul was already here wanting to talk to Maka, then he had the obvious right-of-way in this situation. Chrona shouldn't interfere.

The look Soul shot him was dubious at best, eyebrows furrowed as he made an obvious effort to be patient while Chrona choked out what he needed to say.

"I...uhm..." He trailed off, eyes drifting hopelessly to Maka's door. Maybe Medusa's voice would suddenly drift out of the ether like it did sometimes, lately, to give him advice, bolster his flagging courage. But nothing happened, so after a few moments of resisting the instinct to give up, he just sort of caved in on himself. "N-nevermind. It's not important, I-I'll ask her later."

With that, the furiously stammering meister turned tail and escaped down the staircase. His somewhat bewildered conversation partner didn't waste much time wondering about it, though, more focused on returning to the task that had been at hand before Chrona's rather bizarre intrusion.

"Maka?"

Soul rapped on the door, feeling for his partner's wavelength through the wood. He couldn't hear sounds of crying, but that meant very little; Maka rarely cried. The slow but irregular, hiccuping pulse of her soul against his consciousness said enough: she wasn't angry with him, she was just...distressed. Her wavelength felt unsettled, too. What did she hear from Stein? he wondered.

"Can I come in?"

There was a long silence from the other side of the door. At last a mumbled 'yeah' came across, and Soul pushed the door open carefully. Maka was huddled on her bed, knees tucked up against her chest. Soul dropped down beside her, casually maintaining a few inches of space between them, and stared across the room as though it was the most natural thing to be sitting there, not acknowledging each other's presence - as though he had other stuff to think about, and just happened to be sharing the bed with her. With Maka, he found it was best to wait for her to make the first move.

"Hi," she mumbled eventually. Her fingers crept across the space between them to tangle hesitantly with his.

"What's up?" asked Soul. "Moping in your room is totally uncool, you know," he added gently.

She sighed and brushed at her bangs. "I've just got a lot on my mind, I guess."

"You didn't talk about what Stein told you. Is that what's bugging you? Did he give you bad news or something?"

He could feel her soul tense and recoil as she prepared to give him half the truth. That was a too-familiar feeling between them, and he'd learned to recognize it well by now. Soul could read his meister like a book; it was what she was holding back that he couldn't figure out.

"Well, they ran blood tests, and I'm not anemic. So that's...good." Maka's free hand picked at the bedspread by her toes. They were painted, he noticed - chipping sky-blue polish on each right down to the tiny nails of her pinky toes. Cute.

"There's something else, right?" he pressed, even though he knew he wouldn't get anything out of her if she'd made up her mind to keep it from him.

Instead of her lips thinning and shoulders going tense, which was her usual reaction to his inquiries, Maka looked over at him with wary eyes. "Soul," she began guardedly, "we're partners, no matter what, aren't we?" Under the carefully constructed innocent curiosity in his meister's voice, Soul could sense deep anxiety. In any circumstances, he would have found that question unnecessary and sort of strange, but her weird behavior and evasiveness made it downright suspicious.

Still, he didn't miss a beat in responding. "Duh, obviously."

"You'll stay with me, whatever happens?"

"Maka, you're freaking me out. What's going on?"

She sounded near to tears. Maka got loud, got angry, got violently emotional sometimes - hell, a lot of the time - but she did not get hysterical. He scooted around to face her, dropping the carefree air he worked so hard to cultivate.

"...Maka?"

"I just -" As much as Soul wished she would fling her arms around his neck and cry all of her troubles onto his shoulder, like any normal girl would do, Maka was much more the type to curl farther and farther in on herself, the harder she was pressed. And that was exactly what she did now. "Forget it. I'll work it out, okay?"

The fierce determination of her expression when she finally raised her face seemed encouraging. He wanted to believe in it.

"Yeah, all right. But you don't have to do everything by yourself, you know? We're supposed to be partners."

"I know," she agreed. "But I'll be okay as long as you're with me, Soul. So don't leave me, okay? But don't worry, either."

"I'm not going anywhere, Maka. Cool guys don't abandon their partners."

Something like a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She slumped against him, their arms just barely touching, and let her head flop onto his shoulder. "Thanks."

She didn't say anything else for a few long, heay moments, and when Soul glanced down, expecting to see her deep in thought, he realized she was already asleep. Her breathing dusted gently over his neck, a soft ebb and flow of air that tickled the hairs at the back of his neck. Vaguely, he felt a sort of irrational fear that Maka would disappear; she was pulling away from him, disappearing from between his fingers, and the horror of that thought wrapped around his heart and squeezed tightly. The urge to stay there, curled up with her, until morning when he could be sure she was still there, tugged at him strongly, but in the end he only helped her under the covers and went back to his own room.


End file.
